Creating social justice initiatives online

Sanjana Hattotuwa

Ashoka News and Knowledge FellowTED FellowArchitect and co-curator, Groundviews

What really is this social media/new media ecosystem?

• Social media uses Internet and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many).

• It supports the democratisation of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers. (Wikipedia)

What is social justice?

• Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being.

• Absence or end of war is not a just peace or society.

social media landscape

social media landscape today

+

plus.google.com

new media foundations

• Blogs

• Social networks (Twitter, Facebook)

• Mobiles: SMS to social networking sites, mobile photography and video

• Wired (ADSL) and wireless broadband (3G etc)

• Greater access, also in Sinhala & Tamil

• Lower transactional cost (cost per SMS, subscription for ADSL, cost per dongle, data subscriptions)

what’s new?

• Ubiquity of two way communications

• Addressable peoples, even those who IDPs or refugees

• Both news generation and dissemination leverages new media

• Disintermediated models vs. traditional media model

• Citizens as producers

• Low resolution, hyperlocal helps focus and granularity

• Aggregation of low resolution helps macro analysis and strategy

the revolution

Media Consumer

MediaConsumer / Witness / Producer

Information as a conversationKnowledge through curation

Information as a package

Passive

Active / Reactive

Question why | Tell your own story

example from abroad

crowdsourcing reports: Crowdvoicehttp://crowdvoice.org

dialogue & discussion: dropping knowledgehttp://www.droppingknowledge.org/bin/home/home.page

crisis in darfur : using google earth

“saffron revolution” in myanmar 2007

• 100,000 people joined a Facebook group supporting the monks

• No international TV crews allowed in the country

• Mobile phone cameras were the first footage of the monks protest

• Blogs from Rangoon were the only sources of information

• The junta shut down all Internet and mobile communications

Our presentThe telegenic revolutions

all mainstream media use social media

examples from sri lanka

google moderate: participatory journalismhttp://www.groundviews.org/2010/03/15/strengthening-democracy-in-sri-lanka-an-open-invitation-to-generate-fresh-ideas/

online video: vikalpa YouTube channelwww.youtube.com/vikalpasl

alternative politics in sinhala vikalpa www.vikalpa.org

boondi alternative Sinhala critiqueswww.boondi.lk

kottu: blog aggregation in Tamil, Sinhala and Englishwww.kottu.org

sinhala bloggers union: Sinhala blog aggregationwww.sinhalabloggers.com

twitter topical, pithy perspectiveswww.twitter.com

groundviews.org: civic media bearing witnesshttp://www.groundviews.org

change making through civic media

Be the change you want to seeCreate and curate frames of respectful dialogueBe critical of everything, but not equally soFail, it is the best way to learn. Be open about it.Challenge authority, age and conventional wisdom.Know what you want to see and communicate itStand up for principles, even if you are the only one.People will remember the hope you gave, not the site designTake risks, never be afraid to give it all up Embrace technologyBear witness, not pursue regime change

media literacy

selecting the best produce

consuming the news

• Buying fruits of vegetables

• Check price

• Weigh it in one’s hands

• Look at it from all angles

• Look at it in context

• Look at a few, not just one

• Discard if old

• Ascertain location where it was produced

• Consuming news

• Check authorship

• Check for veracity, quality

• Is it accurate, fair, topical?

• What is the bias? Is it progressive?

• Select a few from many sources

• Discard if out-dated information is presented

• Be cautious of unverified information and breaking news

How to navigate social media?

creating relationships

Debates via Twitter

Debates via Skypehttp://groundviews.org/2011/07/15/a-sri-lankan-identity-and-race-relations

social networking: facebook750 million+ users

social networking: facebook reach

Avg. FB account: 130 friends

Potential reach of ~1,586,000 FB accounts. Instantly.

Groundviews FB page has 12,200+ fans

social networking: facebook reach

social networking: facebook reach

producing content

google mapshttp://groundviews.org/2011/02/05/google-map-on-flood-affected-areas-in-sri-lanka-february-2011

wordpress.com: blogging

twitter.com micro-blogginghttp://media.twitter.com

ustream.tv: broadcasting via a PC

ustream: mobile phone broadcastinghttp://www.ustream.tv/mobile

flickr online photos

interactive timelineshttp://www.timetoast.com

bundling social media, adding value through curationhttp://www.bundlr.com & http://www.storify.com

word cloudshttp://groundviews.org/2011/05/11/from-draft-to-official-text-wikileaks-reveals-the-us-response-to-the-end-of-war-in-sri-lanka/

engaging with content

google newshttp://news.google.com

google readerhttp://reader.google.com

take home

• Think beyond text. Online is not print.

• Think beyond prose. Online can be satire, verse, haiku!

• Think of photos, audio, video. Rich media tells stories, adds context.

• Think of SMS and crowd-sourcing, the audience are the producers.

• Don’t suggest you know everything. Use the community to add value to story.

• Link to other stories online, they add value.

Thank yousanjanah@cpalanka.org